What if the Justice League was really a league?

[rjcurrie]

This was just a weird thought that I had the other day and I don't know if I'll ever do anything with it, so I figured I toss it out here.

 

Picture a world where superhero teams are organized like a sports league. For example, there would be some kind of overseeing organization that would grant franchises in various cities and set the rules for the heroes to follow. Young supers would be drafted in the league just like young basketball or football players, perhaps after graduating from one of the various superhero academies around the nation. In addition to the major city teams, smaller cities would have development teams with young and not quite ready for the big time heroes-- similar to, say, Triple A baseball teams. There might even be a difference in what the big league teams are licensed to handled as opposed to what the minor league teams could.

 

Each franchise team in the league would be owned by a corporation or businessman, who would be responsible for the paying the heroes on the team and would have all merchandising and liscensing rights for the team. Heroes would be under contract just like pro athletes and at certain points in their career would be eligible for free agency, allowing them to move to any team that wants them. Also teams would be able to trade heroes between them. For example, if say Dr. Mystic from the New Orleans team, the Cajun Crusaders loses his powers, they might trade one of their two speedsters, Mr. Fast and Prairie Wind, and a third round pick in the next draft to the New York superteam for Ms. Magic, because the New Yorkers do not have a speedster and have not been running up against many mystical threats.

 

I don't know if there's anything usable in the idea, but there it is. Any thoughts?

[wrestlinggeek]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

There is an anthology boook called Superheroes. It's made up of different short stories about various original supers. It's a very good read, some stories more than others. Anyway, one of the stories in the book involves a city's local Super-Patriot being traded to another city for a Speedster and "a promising young side-kick, to be named later." Can't remember the title of the actual story, but it's one of my favorites in the book (my favorite being Peer Review). Anyway, your idea reminded me of it. As for using the idea in a campaign, sounds pretty cool. I'd be willing to give it a try.

[Haven Walkur]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

With professional heroes (and presumably villains), the idea sounds a bit like the background of Sketch, the supers roleplaying game where you draw out your actions.

 

The supers in that world are professional heroes or villains; they do it for a living. Yes, and once the quitting time whistle blows, they're no longer mortal enemies.

 

For anyone interested in Sketch, I've read through it but never played it. Doctor Anomaly has a copy of the game.

 

The league idea also reminds me of the House background for the Flea Worlds League, one of the Houses in Critter-Tek. Everything is set up in the style of Major League Baseball; the names, history, technology (including, of course, the 'Teks) and combat. Some very sick nerd out there loved baseball as much as he loved Battletech/Mechwarrior -- and he combined the two in the parody game Critter-Tek.

 

(Yup, Dr. A has this one, too.)

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

There is an anthology boook called Superheroes. It's made up of different short stories about various original supers. It's a very good read' date=' some stories more than others. Anyway, one of the stories in the book involves a city's local Super-Patriot being traded to another city for a Speedster and "a promising young side-kick, to be named later." Can't remember the title of the actual story, but it's one of my favorites in the book (my favorite being [i']Peer Review[/i]). Anyway, your idea reminded me of it. As for using the idea in a campaign, sounds pretty cool. I'd be willing to give it a try.

Ok, I'd like to read this book. After a little searching i think I found it. Is this is the right one?

[Adventus]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

Ok' date=' I'd like to read this book. After a little searching i think I found it. Is this is the right one?

 

 

Yes

[wrestlinggeek]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

Ok' date=' I'd like to read this book. After a little searching i think I found it. Is this is the right one?

 

Yep, that's the one. And the story I was thinking of was Contract Hit (because there was a claus in his contract with the city saying he could be traded). I also enjoyed Reflected Glory, One of The Boys (a great look at a more realistic extra-terrestrial trying to blend in on Earth), and Super Acorns. Truth, Justice, and The Politically Correct Socialist Path (IIRC), was also a hoot.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

Yes

Excellent, we even have a copy of that here in the library.

 

On the original question, I think it's an intriguing idea and could be a lot of fun. However, i can't help but think of the Superhero Exchange Program from The Tick (also an intriguing idea).

 

[Enforcer84]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

I love the idea but it's hard to pull off in a game with any seriousness. Though the Vision did try the Avengers Franchise thing and They're doing the "Superteam Per city" thing in the Initiative it seems. So...maybe I'm a dumbass.

[assault]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

I love the idea but it's hard to pull off in a game with any seriousness.

 

Unfortunately this is true. Still, in a world that's a bit less serious...

 

Of course it really needs a universe with more than one PC team active.

 

In the past I've toyed with a pre-JLA version of the DC universe, featuring the Batmen of All Nations and the Green Arrows of the World, along with various other odds and ends.

[Hermit]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

Actually, I've done something like this and it turned out to be a lot more serious than I thought, with superheroes very images controlled by their sponsor corporations with a similarity to how studios controlled their actors via contract in 1950s Hollywood.

[rjcurrie]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

Actually' date=' I've done something like this and it turned out to be a lot more serious than I thought, with superheroes very images controlled by their sponsor corporations with a similarity to how studios controlled their actors via contract in 1950s Hollywood.[/quote']

 

Yeah, that's sort of how I pictured it going. The other thing that I'm not sure that I made clear in the original post was that I pictured it as a universe where superheroes are licensed -- on various levels. While I only talked about one level of "farm team" in that post, there might in reality be a hierarchy of minor league superteams not unlike minor league baseball -- most likely with smaller centers getting lower level teams. And as I mentioned above, the heroes on the lower level teams might be limited in the actions they could take (with some exceptions for emergencies). You'd also likely see older heroes who can't cut it in the big leagues anymore on the lower level teams to lend veteran leadership and training.

 

Of course, if free agency is built into the system, then perhaps owners would be careful with how much they exploit their heroes if they want to keep them.

 

And if say the Cajun Crusaders of New Orleans lose a hero for a while (through injury or taking a temporary leave of absence for personal reasons), they can always call up a hero from their Baton Rouge farm team to take his place.

 

And what about heroes who don't want to be a part of this league? I have to admit that I sort of envisioned it as a situation where it was illegal to operate as a superhero outside of the League. Of course that doesn't mean that there won't be teams and individual superheroes who do operate -- they would just be operating outside the law.

[Badger]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

I have had thoughts on that from time to time over the years.

 

 

Anyway, currie, you might want to check up on a thread in NGD from a couple months ago. It was a "Pick a Superteam" thing started by Solomon. Where we could pick up to 10 heroes from any universe. Not really related exactly to this. But, you might find it interesting in light of your current thread here.

[assault]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

Actually' date=' I've done something like this and it turned out to be a lot more serious than I thought, with superheroes very images controlled by their sponsor corporations with a similarity to how studios controlled their actors via contract in 1950s Hollywood.[/quote']

 

Cool. Because there were no scandals in 1950s Hollywood.

 

Hmm... My hero would be a gay communist.

[Balabanto]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

Wow. That's VERY dark. And creepy in an Elseworlds sort of way.

[Pariah]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

Picture a world where superhero teams are organized like a sports league. For example' date=' there would be some kind of overseeing organization that would grant franchises in various cities and set the rules for the heroes to follow....[/quote']

 

It sounds a little like what Tony Stark is trying to do to Marvel America right now. [shudder]

[Killer Shrike]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

I think it would be a great premise for a graphic novel. Add players and the realities of a RPG into the mix and I don't think it would work.

[rjcurrie]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

I think it would be a great premise for a graphic novel. Add players and the realities of a RPG into the mix and I don't think it would work.

 

Well, if I were going to run it as a campaign, I'd concentrate on one big league team --- and keep details vague about the other big league teams and even the minor league teams. Basically, if a player wanted to change characters, you could arrange for the current character to be traded to another team in exchange for their new character.

 

If the players don't want to be a licensed team, then they could be an outlaw team.

 

But really, this thread is more of a thought experiment

[Killer Shrike]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

Well, if I were going to run it as a campaign, I'd concentrate on one big league team --- and keep details vague about the other big league teams and even the minor league teams. Basically, if a player wanted to change characters, you could arrange for the current character to be traded to another team in exchange for their new character.

 

If the players don't want to be a licensed team, then they could be an outlaw team.

 

But really, this thread is more of a thought experiment

 

The problem, as I see it, is to drive the point home and make it more than just meaningless background, you would have to trade people on and off the PC's team, which wouldnt work unless you had players that were willing to have their character pulled and replaced by another one.

 

If you can get buy in from one or more players willing to do this, then it becomes more viable. Also, how would you handle a draft scenario? Kind of have to play thru it to establish the concept; seems like that would be problematic to pull off without some level of handwaving.

 

However, you would also need a rather large stable of supers to fill out the ranks, even just in roster form, of other notable teams and the PC's teams farm leagues. In a normal setting other teams are just other teams, but in this scenario, characters could theoretically get pulled to or from those so it becomes more relevant to know details.

 

In the end, while its an interesting idea, I don't see that the extra work it requires yields sufficient hook to bother with, but thats just my opinion.

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

Cool. Because there were no scandals in 1950s Hollywood.

 

Hmm... My hero would be a gay communist.

 

But does he like guns?

[Zed-F]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

The problem' date=' as I see it, is to drive the point home and make it more than just meaningless background, you would have to trade people on and off the PC's team, which wouldnt work unless you had players that were willing to have their character pulled and replaced by another one.[/quote']

That part's easy, you just have a team that's the PCs plus some number of NPCs. Then you can trade the NPCs around at will, and if the PC wants a new char, great.

 

If you can get buy in from one or more players willing to do this, then it becomes more viable. Also, how would you handle a draft scenario? Kind of have to play thru it to establish the concept; seems like that would be problematic to pull off without some level of handwaving.

 

However, you would also need a rather large stable of supers to fill out the ranks, even just in roster form, of other notable teams and the PC's teams farm leagues. In a normal setting other teams are just other teams, but in this scenario, characters could theoretically get pulled to or from those so it becomes more relevant to know details.

I guess; it doesn't seem that big a deal to make it up as you need it though.

 

In the end, while its an interesting idea, I don't see that the extra work it requires yields sufficient hook to bother with, but thats just my opinion.

Fair enough.

[input.jack]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

I love the idea but it's hard to pull off in a game with any seriousness. ....They're doing the "Superteam Per city" thing in the Initiative it seems. So...maybe I'm a dumbass.

 

Nope. Thats Quesada.

[assault]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

But does he like guns?

 

Only for self-defence against fascist vigilantes and corporate thugs, like... umm... him.

[Hainted]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

This is similar to the idea I've got for my world,The I.B.P.C.

The I.B.P.C.(International Bureau of Preternatural Crime) started as a League of Gentlemen style adventuring group a couple of hundred years ago.Since then they have evolved into the largest crime fighting organisation in the world.They recruit by offering people the opportunity to learn how to control their powers safely inside one of their bases.Those who show promise are allowed advanced training and offered jobs.In the olden days the I.B.P.C. kept their independence from government control by donations from the public,and accepting rewards for jobs as well as licensing out the tech they invented.In the last hundred years though they have shifted to more lucrative ventures.It started with penny dreadfuls,and mysteries but quickly adapted to new forms of entertainment as someone realised the public would pay to hear about the I.B.P.C.'s cases.Nowadays a member of a high profile team(i.e. The Majestic 12) will have a comic book,action figure,novels,and maybe even a TV show or movie deal.In fact in my world the costumed heroes with the code names are all I.B.P.C. members.

[Lucius]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

This is similar to the idea I've got for my world,The I.B.P.C.

The I.B.P.C.(International Bureau of Preternatural Crime) started as a League of Gentlemen style adventuring group a couple of hundred years ago.Since then they have evolved into the largest crime fighting organisation in the world.They recruit by offering people the opportunity to learn how to control their powers safely inside one of their bases.Those who show promise are allowed advanced training and offered jobs.In the olden days the I.B.P.C. kept their independence from government control by donations from the public,and accepting rewards for jobs as well as licensing out the tech they invented.In the last hundred years though they have shifted to more lucrative ventures.It started with penny dreadfuls,and mysteries but quickly adapted to new forms of entertainment as someone realised the public would pay to hear about the I.B.P.C.'s cases.Nowadays a member of a high profile team(i.e. The Majestic 12) will have a comic book,action figure,novels,and maybe even a TV show or movie deal.In fact in my world the costumed heroes with the code names are all I.B.P.C. members.

 

That's what _I_ was looking for - some reasonable explanation of how the system came to be.

 

Oddly enough I can see it working once all the elements are in place, what I have a hard time envisioning is how it got started.

 

Of course, I'm also very ignorant about sports - is it actually illegal to play baseball if one isn't licensed? I mean, assuming I had the money to build or rent a baseball diamond, and recruited enough players for two or more teams, would I or they get arrested if I put them in uniforms of my own design and said "Play ball!"?

 

 

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary is still chewing it over.....

[OddHat]

Re: What if the Justice League was really a league?

 

My default setting has had something like this for a couple of decades. Always fun, but usually in the background.